


Gentle Darkness

by ModounBubble



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games), Dark Souls I
Genre: Established Relationship, Human!Manus, Illusions, M/M, Mild Gore, beware of nail pulling, mild ambiguity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 00:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19860877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ModounBubble/pseuds/ModounBubble
Summary: The day before Artorias heads to the corrupted Oolacile, Gwyndolin requested to meet him and wish to test him.Artorias used to be in a relationship with dark lord Manus, and their relationship was very well-hidden from public. Indeed that it’d be painful for him to drive the greatsword into his former lover’s chest, but it had to be done to cease further Abyss erosion. Besides, Manus was not the man he used to know anymore…





	Gentle Darkness

Standing in front of the fog gate, the Wolf Knight is a little nervous. Can it be that Lord Gwyndolin questions his perseverance? Could it be that he acknowledges... Artorias quickly shakes off the thought. _Lord Gwyndolin is a deity, he will never commit such indecent act. Don’t think too much about this._ He quickly calms himself on the spot and proudly proclaims that there is nothing that can stop him from exterminating the Abyss, and he will bring honor and glory to Anor Londo once more.

Gwyndolin orders him to walk in.

\--

Artorias stepped onto the soft grass of Oolacile, along with some elite soldiers accompanied him to the kingdom. They had asked the good Lady Elizabeth for the path and marched into the woods. The soil underneath them still appeared fresh and the Wolf Knight could still smell the familiar aroma of the trees’ flowers. Perhaps the Abyss had yet to completely taken over this land...which was good; Oolacile might still have hope. The trusty soldiers took care of the corrupted Oolacilians within and Artorias marched onwards. 

Things began to look fishy as he arrived the township. Although the Wolf Knight never craved fame, but this might be the first time that he wasn’t welcomed by gasps or praises of commoners. He saw civilians minding their businesses on the streets; sorcerers discussing about spells, young boys chasing their dogs, and some men carrying cruel weapons going down the elevator. Everything looked so normal yet strange, as if the Abyss outbreak never happened. 

A small child in dirty dress walked over to him and looked up to his bright, fancy armors. Artorias kneeled down and lowered his head a little, so the child didn’t have to tilt her head up all the time. He asked politely, hoping to get some answers, “Excuse me, have you noticed anything wrong happening in town? Are your family aware of the Abyss?”

The child blinked with confusion but answered him nonetheless, “All my friends' papis and mommies suddenly left us for the whole day and then came back later that night.” She paused and scratched her curly hair. "What is an Abyss?”

Strange. If the folks weren’t preparing weapons for fighting the Abyss, what could they possibly use them for? Artorias continued to question, “Do you know where they're taking those weapons to?”

The child turned to see what Artorias was pointing at and shivered a little. She tugged her dress roughly and murmured, “Maybe there's an execution...only boys like those bloody things! They must be happy that there are execution everyday now.”

Oolacile sorcery, and their society in general, was known for its peaceful nature; it would be hard to conceive Oolacilians perform public execution on a daily basis. The Wolf Knight bid farewell to the young child and decided to ask someone else. But for some reason, all the civilians only quickly threw him a greeting and hurried away when he approached. 

Well then. His mission was to eliminate the Abyss, he shouldn’t interfere whatever the Oolacilians were up to; they could thank him later after he took care of the beast. As if no one could see him, he descent the township, level by level with ease. When he arrived at the dungeon, everything was silent. Artorias didn't witness a single guard nor hear the weak groaning of prisoners.

Two malformed guards stopped the Wolf Knight before he reached his destination. When Artorias readied to slice them in half, the many eyes of the guards’ picked on the fresh color of his cape. They bumped their bloated heads together and communicated in some sort of gargling language quietly; after a minute, they lowered their weapons and allowed Artorias through. 

In the cell, a frail man was shivering in the corner. His face, his body, all matted with blood; his left arm was completely broken and twisted in a very disturbing way; his chest had been carved open and stitched back together multiple times. Artorias glimpsed at the prisoner and pitied him for a brief second. He then moved his eyes to the cell walls, and his brows frowned together because the walls seemed very well intact. According to Lady Elizabeth, he should find a large hole in the last cell of the dungeon, and it should lead him to the Abyss. Artorias punched the wall couple times but it was just a normal brick wall, not an illusion. With the sound of punching, the broken man in the corner immediately curled into a ball and used his only good arm to protect his head. Poor soul, what terrible crime had he committed to deserve such torture? Artorias was not the one to judge. Afterall, his top priority was to find the Chasm.

He headed out to ask the guards for some clues, but he really couldn't understand their glibish nonsense. He came back to the cell and tried every wall, but nothing worked. 

Abruptly the little man torn away a piece of their fingernails. It was the last nail on his broken left arm. With the oozing blood, he wrote three letters on the floor before the blood dried out. And with a terrible noise, Artorias saw the man bared his teeth and yanked off the first joint of his index. With the pouring blood, he continued his work.

F-I-L-I

A group of malformed men swarmed in with those cruel weapons he saw in township.

==

Artorias gazed around the well intact cell wall and bit his lips. According to Lady Elizabeth, he should find a large hole in the last cell of the dungeon, and it should lead him to the Abyss. Could it be that Elizabeth provided him the wrong information? He wandered around the large cell and punched each wall, but there was no luck. All the walls were as real as they look.

A weak, hoarse groan alerted him. Artorias glanced down and he found out that he stepped on someone’s finger. This man was still alive! The Wolf Knight thought he was a corpse when he entered the cell moments ago. But still, this man looked no better than a corpse: his skin was grey as if it’s going to rot anytime; the only things remained in his eye sockets were dried blood and dust. Artorias suppressed his nausea and quickly removed his boot before he apologized quietly. 

The small man didn’t respond to the Wolf Knight. He hardly supported his twitching body up with one hand. The man picked up his disfigured hand to his mouth and cracked open the left thumb’s joint. With the upper half of the thumb still hanging on the finger, the small man began to use his broken thumb like a pen.

_Why would a blind one try to write? Is this some sort of hint?_

A-R-T…

_Is there a painting somewhere with a hidden path?_

...O-R…

_Or?_

A group of malformed sorcerers swarmed in with catalysts.

==

Artorias gave the wall a hard blow with his fist. He could hear his teeth grinding together in the awfully silent space. Eventually, he forced himself to let out a big sigh and held back the urge to bash the wall with his great shield. According to Lady Elizabeth, he should find a large hole in the last cell of the dungeon, and it should lead him to the damn Abyss; however, all the walls were very well intact and made of real bricks. Alas, no matter how many rounds he went in the dungeon, there was no other big cell other than this one. Could it be that Oolacile falsely report the Abyss catastrophe just to play with the Gods? How dare they?

Suddenly he felt something grabbed onto his ankle. The Wolf Knight looked down and saw that the small man extended his thin arm to clutch onto his boot. He was extremely weak and heavily injured.

But Artorias had no business with this prisoner. He shook it off and watched the hand desperately reached out to his boot like his life depended on it. The man was trying to say something, but Artorias couldn't identify anything from his broken vocal cords. He shook off the hand again and left the cell. He should go back to Anor Londo and report this.

Malformed sorcerers and masked men with sharp tools swarmed into the cell as he walked away.

With an explosive roar and horrified screams, Artorias turned around and saw darkness burst at the center of the cell, tainted every single surface with its ghastly blackness. The aura of the Abyss was so strong that it pierced his soul like a thousand arrows, and a wave of unnatural chill awashed his senses, leaving his soul shaking. A wrath-filled beast slammed one of the men to the wall and flattened that bulky figure into a pile of fleshy pulp. Those glowing red eyes, those massive horns……It's Manus.

And the roar sounded so familiar to the man who he kicked away not long ago.

A terrible thought rose inside Artorias' head.

==

In spite of the wide open area of the Chasm, Artorias had never felt so overwhelmed in a battle. Not to mention he couldn't shook away the guilt that pent up in his chest.

He could've prevented this.

He could’ve picked him up and walked away. 

He could've at least paid a little more attention.

He could've found out who he was.

The relentless force broke his poise and left him wide open, the beast slammed him through the Abyss.

==

"....Artorias?"

The Wolf Knight opened his eyes and was drenched in cold sweat, as if he woke up from a nightmare. He then realized he was sitting with Manus in Royal Woods. The small sorcerer, his lover, looked with concern towards him. "You seem very anxious."

What happened? How long had he been here? Artorias looked around, everything looked ever so peaceful. The soft wind blew the fragrance of forest through his dark hair; the sunlight shone through the gaps of leaves and decorated the grass with care. Artorias glanced at the high walls on the mountain peak and sighed. As much as he wanted to stay with Manus in the woods, he needed to go back to Anor Londo. He was one of the trustest knights of Gwyn, Manus was the Dark Lord. They could never be together. He turned his gaze back to Manus, who chuckled a little when a butterfly landed on the Wolf Knight’s nose for a brief moment. 

Those hazel eyes looked so ever beautiful under the afternoon sun.

"Lord Manus, this might sound funny but...."

"Yes?" Manus smiled gently at him. 

"I think I miss you. I miss you terribly." Artorias suddenly began to weep. His mind was overflowed with emotions just by beholding Manus’ visage.

"My, my……So do I, dear child." Manus extended his hands to wipe away Artorias’ tears, but those small hands never reached his face. The Dark Lord’s figure suddenly looked very distant.

Artorias moved forward but he still couldn't catch up to him. He jogged faster and finally put his hands on Manus.

==

He was facing a beast. His hands were holding the facade of a beast like a lover. 

Artorias couldn't remember how the fight ended like this, they should try to kill each other. _What is…_

Manus raised up his small claw. Tenderly, he brushed the back of his hand on Artorias' cheek before cupped it.

Artorias leaned into the claw.

Manus leaned towards him

==

Artorias blinked and he was in the Royal Woods again.

"Child? You're acting very odd today."

"Lord Manus, I think I have something very important to tell you."

His brain was a mess. Too many things happened but he couldn't react to them correctly. No matter what was the truth, he couldn’t let this chance slip away…

"Please go ahead."

"I love you."

Artorias placed his hands around Manus' cheeks and held it gently. His smooth hair, his warm skin...he was so beautiful that it felt almost unreal. Abruptly Artorias wished that he could stay at this moment for eternity. The Wolf Knight’s confession and gesture made the Dark Lord’s jaw dropped a little; soon, that soothing smile replaced that stunned expression of his. "Oh, dear Artorias..."

Manus put his hand through Artorias' hair and closed his eyes. Artorias leaned forward to kiss him.

\-------

Everything vanishes at once.

Artorias find himself kneeling on the hard floor, his hands holding air. Sunlight shines through the window and bathes the lastborn of Gwyn in a warm layer of glory. 

"Lord Gwyndolin……I……"

"It was only for my curiosity, Sir Artorias. I will speak not of anything I witnessed. May the flame guide thee through thy journey."

Sif waits patiently for her companion’s return. She wags her tail and presents her sword play to him. If they manage to spare Sif’s home forest from Abyss corruption, the young warrior girl will gain so much fame and Alvina surely will compliment her for it. She is so excited about this mission. 

_For Anor Londo._ Artorias tells himself this before he falls into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE THANKS TO AWOL FOR BEING MY BETA I DON'T KNOW HOW TO @ PEOPLE


End file.
